The recent anti-Hamas protests in the Gaza Strip are seen by some Western and Arab political analysts as a positive and encouraging development.
Those who are rushing to celebrate the protests in Gaza need to consider that they are most likely nothing but a show by the Iran-backed Hamas to fool the world into thinking that there is an uprising against the terrorist group.
After all, this is the same Hamas that kept signaling to everyone, years before its terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, that it was not interested in another round of fighting. Then it murdered and brutally tortured 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 251.
One of Hamas's tactics has been to try to protect its terrorists by hiding them among civilians. According to some reports, Hamas members have been spotted leading some of Gaza's demonstrations.
Hamas, in addition, is undoubtedly seeking to undermine the legitimacy of Israel's war against terrorism by sending "innocent" civilians to the streets to protest the humanitarian and economic crisis in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is probably hoping that the world will see the poor "anti-Hamas" civilians peacefully protesting, then exert pressure on Israel to halt its fight against the terrorists.
What would Norway or Denmark do if ISIS or Al-Qaeda were on its border, seeking to destroy it?
Notably, most of the protesters appear to be fighting-aged men, thereby reinforcing the belief that they are terrorists who took off their military uniforms and suddenly became "civilians."
Even if some of the protesters are not members of Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups, it is vital not to be fooled by what appears to be a sudden change of heart.
The protesters, like many of the residents of the Gaza Strip, are, in all probability, just trying to avoid more death and destruction now that they see Israel, fully backed by the Trump administration, resuming its counter-terrorism operations.
The fighting in the Gaza Strip picked up again on March 18, after Hamas breached the US-brokered ceasefire-hostages deal reached earlier in the year.
This is certainly not a change of heart: there has yet to be a single Palestinian criticism of Hamas's October 7 massacre of Israelis. The protesters are not saying they are bothered by Hamas terrorists (and thousands of "ordinary" Palestinians) brutally murdering, raping, beheading, and burning alive hundreds of Israelis that day.
Please recall, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets on October 7, 2023, to cheer as Israeli hostages were dragged back into the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians not only chanted slogans in support of Hamas and the Palestinian "resistance," many were filmed beating and spitting on the abducted Israeli men, women and children.
It is highly likely that many of the "anti-Hamas" protesters now are the same people who celebrated the October 7 carnage.
It would also be entirely wrong to assume that those who are demonstrating against Hamas are in favor of peace and coexistence with Israel. We did not hear or see one "anti-Hamas" protester hold a banner calling for peace or recognizing Israel's right to exist.
If the protesters would really want to end the war, they would be urging Hamas to release the 59 Israelis hostages still held captive in the Gaza Strip. If the protesters were really eager to see an end to the war, someone would have tipped off Israel as to the whereabouts of the hostages. It is crucial to remember that in November 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a $5 million reward for the release of each hostage. Not one person in the Gaza Strip has come forward to this day.
At the "anti-Hamas" protests, we have not heard a single person call for an end to the genocidal jihadist fantasies of Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups. If elections were held in Gaza tomorrow, most of the protesters would, without doubt, vote for any Islamist terror group that seeks the destruction of Israel through slaughter, terrorism and jihad (holy war).
The talk about local clans possibly revolting against Hamas is an old fantasy that unfortunately never materialized. In the past, a small number of clans did openly challenge Hamas's rule, but they were quickly suppressed and discredited by other, pro-Hamas, clans. Last year, Israel tried to encourage anti-Hamas clans to play a role in managing the Gaza Strip -- without success. Regrettably, several clans have, over the past year, issued statements expressing support for Hamas as the "sole representative of the Gaza Strip."
The current protests are taking place for one reason only: Hamas is conspicuously losing the war. Israel's military force is working. The protesters are just angry that Israel retaliated so hard.
All Hamas would have to do for Israel to stop is to free the 59 remaining hostages, only 24 of whom possibly remain alive – but all of whom are victims of a kidnapping that should not have happened in the first place.
These Palestinian demonstrations are not going to bring down Hamas.
The demonstrators know full well that Hamas does not tolerate any form of criticism. Earlier this week, Hamas terrorists reportedly kidnapped, tortured and executed Odai al-Rabei, a 22-year-old Gazan who participated in an anti-Hamas protest. The murder presumably aims to send a warning to anyone who dares to speak out against the terror group. It also could be part of Hamas's effort to distract attention from its involvement in the protests, which lasted only three days.
At present, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is the only army capable of destroying Hamas's political and military infrastructure. So far, Israel seems to be doing an excellent job, especially, since October 7, with the destruction of most of Hamas's military capabilities, and the elimination of several senior Hamas officials over the past two weeks.
Sadly, there is no alternative to the complete removal of Hamas. As noted earlier on these pages, there is no difference between Hamas's political wing and its military wing. Hamas's political wing, in fact, requires the military wing, to be able to stay in power.
If the West falls for Hamas's latest ploy, the terror group will simply soon be able to take control of the Gaza Strip with a rebranded name. Hamas's primary goal, after all, is to remain in power.
It is time to stop projecting Western values and aspirations onto Islamist societies. The protests in the Gaza Strip are not a shift toward peace. Instead, they are a symptom of the Palestinians' failure, once again, to achieve their goal of murdering Jews and eliminating Israel.
Make no mistake: Once the Palestinians recover from the war, they will continue their jihad against Israel. Many of the "anti-Hamas" protesters will then reappear, this time complete with masks, weapons and military gear.
Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East.
Neal